MONTREAL - Jacques Martin's refrain of goaltending and special teams being the key to all victories sure is getting old, isn't it?
A loss, in which the team managed a 3-0 lead on its even-strength effort, was blamed on the futile powerplay.
Forget about the Canadiens inability to push the throttle down in the third period with what was a one-goal lead at the time, let alone overtime, knowing that playing for the shootout is a terrible strategy given their record in the one-on-one competition.
Not to say they're playing for the shootout. After all, Martin reassured last night that the team generated one scoring chance in overtime to match Vancouver's one chance in the five-minute frame. Never mind the five shots they managed in the third period.
If the Canadiens are waiting for the powerplay to come around and praying for Andrei Markov to salvage the season, they'll be in for a lottery pick by season's end.
The more you think about the plan being solely focused on special teams and goaltending, the more ridiculous it becomes.
The team mired in the stench of two regulation wins over the last 10 games believes that if they can fix the powerplay, all their problems will be solved. Hence the trade this morning that sent Jaroslav Spacek to Carolina for Tomas Kaberle.
Is Kaberle a better fit on the Canadiens than Spacek?
Sure he is.
Can he help the powerplay?
Of course he can.
Is his three-year contract (including this season) for $4.25 million per season what the Canadiens need?
Like a hole in the head, as my father would put it.
Don't get me wrong. Moving Spacek the player in a straight up deal for Kaberle the player is a good move.
Taking on the contract is a horrendously bad one, but it doesn't have to be, so long as the Canadiens have a plan to move that contract out of the way after this season.
If they intend on keeping Kaberle, when they have Subban, Price and Gorges to sign, this team is headed towards worse places that I care to admit at this point in time.
Bandaid on a gaping wound
There's no other way to interpret this trade.
Jacques Martin needs a powerplay and this is his chance to salvage his season.
It's hard to argue the Canadiens wouldn't be winning all these games they've been losing, if they could just manage a powerplay goal/game. The evidence is in what they've accomplished over the last four years of making the playoffs.
The question is, what will the Canadiens get out of Kaberle?
We're talking about the guy the Bruins won the Cup with-- in spite of his terrible performance.
Kaberle's sole purpose was to ignite one of the league's worst powerplays, and he couldn't manage to do it, even with all that talent in Boston.
Up until the Finals, the Bruins were operating at less than 9% efficiency.
The hope is that he can be a completely difference player than the one who split time between Toronto and Boston last season; better than the guy who's played most the season on a pretty bad Carolina team.
There's no evidence to suggest he can be, but we all have to give him a chance.
Gauthier and Martin on the Tightrope
That Pierre Gauthier was allowed to make this move tells you everything you need to know about the reality behind statements of support made by Geoff Molson last week.
Gauthier and Martin have been given a lot of rope to salvage things because injuries, and the inexperience of the blue line have been dependable excuses for how things have played out so far.
Kaberle's performance, and Markov's return coupled with Campoli's and Ryan White's gives Gauthier and Martin one choice: Win, and win a lot.
The slack they've been given has been taken out of the rope now.
If fixing the powerplay is the key to all that ails the Canadiens, then they better fix it, and that better generate the intended result. Otherwise, there's only two people to hold responsible for shortcomings in that department.
